Should You Tell Your Boss If You Are An Alcoholic?

Her name is Kristen Davis, and she’s an alcoholic.

When asked why she is 43-years-old but looks like she is only 30, the Sex & The City (TWC) actress told health.com that she is a recovering alcoholic who never drinks. 

 “I’ve never hid it, but I’ve been sober the whole time I’ve been famous, so it wasn’t like I had to go to rehab publicly,” she told the site.

Davis says that when she goes out, she often must politely decline the many complimentary Cosmo's sent her way by zealous fans.  “I don’t think you can mess with it. There was a time when people who didn’t know me well would say, ‘Couldn’t you just have one glass of champagne?’” She tells health.com. “And I would say, 'No.' I’m doing well. I still have occasional bad days. Why risk it?”

More than 17 million people over the age of 18 abuse alcohol or are alcohol dependent, according to a recent study by the National Institute of Health.  That’s 8.46 percent of the population, and a significant portion of the workforce.  At the top of her career, Davis can publicly discuss her alcoholism and her successful sobriety. But should you tell your boss if you are an alcoholic?

Penelope Trunk, author of Brazen Careerist: The New Rules for Success, who blogs at Brazen Careerist says not to advertise the information unless you are directly asked in a way that somehow pertains to work.  “If it comes up, I don’t think you have to hide it,” she says.  But most likely, it isn’t going to come up – and that’s a good thing.